HIRDLS/Aura CFC-12 Zonal Fourier Coefficients, 2004-2007 Mission

HIRDLS/Aura Level 3 Chlorofluorocarbon-12 (CFC-12) Zonal Fourier Coefficients version 7 contains the entire mission (~3 years) of satellite data. The data are expressed as zonal Fourier coefficients in 1-degree latitude bands from -64 to 80 degrees at 121 pressure levels, computed from Level 2 profiles using a Kalman filter. The product is provided by NASA's Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC).

Use Cases

• Modeling global atmospheric transport based on zonal Fourier coefficients that reconstruct values at any longitude.
• Analyzing stratospheric CFC-12 distribution based on data spanning 121 pressure levels from 316 to 8.3 hPa.
• Comparing daytime (ascending) and nighttime (descending) atmospheric chemistry profiles from separate orbit node data fields.
• Assessing data precision using root-mean-square difference values between estimated fields and input data.

Strengths

• Data covers the entire HIRDLS mission (~3 years), providing a complete temporal record.
• Vertical resolution is high, with 24 levels per decade (~1 km) across 121 pressure levels.
• Coefficients allow reconstruction at any longitude, offering full spatial coverage within the latitude range.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The useful vertical range is limited to 316 to 8.3 hPa, excluding higher and lower pressures.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale ML tasks.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Coefficients computed from HIRDLS Level 2 profiles with a Kalman filter approach using forward and backward passes in time.

Time Range

The entire HIRDLS mission (~3 years), likely from 2004 to 2007.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 01:28:57.705840; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage in 1-degree latitude bands from -64 to 80 degrees.